Spring Recipes: Make the Most of the Food in Season!

The first day of spring arrives with the vernal equinox! Finally, green things are growing, and there is truly fresh produce to enjoy. Below are recipes based on harvest dates of crops across North America.

Why eat fresh? Eating food at its peak means: better flavor, more nutrition, lower costs, safer food, and a better Earth!  Put spring produce on your grocery list!

Asparagus Recipes

Asparagus IS spring for many of us. To keep that bright green color, don’t overcook asparagus; pull the stalks out of the cooking water straight into an ice bath. See how to grow asparagus.

Asparagus Tart

Spring Risotto With Scallops and Asparagus

Asparagus Soup

Asparagus Frittata

Asparagus Hummus With Pita Chips

Asparagus Vinaigrette Salad

Fiddlehead Recipes

Fiddleheads are the first wild edible of spring but only last a few weeks. They are the furled fronds of the young ostrich fern, harvested for use as a vegetable. They make great pickles and a delicious vegetable side dish. 

Look for fiddleheads in local farmers’ markets. If you forage, fiddleheads are the very top of a young ostrich fern and must be picked before unfurling. Forage with an expert and know exactly what you’re looking for; fiddleheads of most other ferns are toxic, and there are a few species that look similar to the ostrich fern when they’re young.

Cream of Fiddleheads Soup

Pea Recipes

Fresh peas at the market herald spring’s arrival. Peas add a beautiful green color and delicate taste to any dish, plus they’re packed with nutrients. ​If you’ve ever had peas raw in the garden, there’s nothing like peas right after they’ve been picked before they turn to starch. Nature’s candy! See more about growing peas.

Gingered Beef, Snow Peas, and Carrots

Green Pea Walnut Pesto

Peas and Egg Fried Rice

Cream of Green Pea Soup

Papa’s Sugar Pea and Veggie Medley

Lemony Asparagus and Spring Pea Salad

Broccoli Recipes

By any conventional standards, broccoli is a nutritional superhero. It’s not just low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals. See how healthy broccoli is! Cook lightly to retain nutrients and maximum flavor. Broccoli can also be grown at home. See our broccoli growing guide.

Creamy Broccoli Carrot Salad

Broccoli and Cheddar Strata

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cooking Greens (Chard, Kale, Mustard, Collards, Dandelions)

Spring Tonic, using the early greens of spring, may be just the thing you need to get through this month! The trick to enjoying dandelion greens? Harvest them young with their underground crowns attached, and clean them well. Use them as you would spinach, in salads or soups. One thing to know about dandelions is that they are an important spring flower for bees, so you should only take a small amount from multiple areas. Learn more about cooking with dandelions.

Fried Dandelion Blossoms

Dandelion Pesto

Dandelion Jelly

Rhubarb Recipes

Ah, rhubarb! Sign of spring. We love their bright, tart flavor! Some folks like to sweeten rhubarb with strawberries. Pick rhubarb when the stalks are about 12 to 18 inches long. Don’t eat the leaves, which contain oxalic acid (an irritant). See how to grow rhubarb.

Rhubarb Muffins

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Easy Rhubarb Sauce

See more Rhubarb Recipes!

Salad Greens Recipes

After a long winter, don’t we all live for fresh, tender salad greens? Whether you love romaine or arugula, enjoy these cool-season young leaves when they’re at their freshest. Lettuce is very easy to grow from seed; stagger your plantings every few weeks for a continual harvest. See how to grow lettuce. 

Kale Salad With Cranberries

Pasta With Greens and Feta

Beet Salad With Beet Greens

Spinach Recipes

Spinach is an iron-rich superfood that must be part of your repertoire. In the spring, spinach appears brighter and greener, and we think the tender leaves are more tasty in the springtime. Baby spinach, which is harvested before it’s mature, is especially delicate. See how to grow spinach.

Spinach Pie

Spinach-Stuffed Tomatoes

Rosemary Chicken With Spinach

Browse the Recipe Search on our cooking page for more recipe ingredients!

What are your favorite recipes to cook each spring?